So You Say Nothing

Oh my, what a busy Saturday morning.  Food shopping, cooking, did some laundry and hung it out.  Gosh, I'm drained, but the good thing about it is, I have two days to recuperate rather than one.  We're kind of cloudy and cool today...a bit breezy with the threat of a storm...and then tomorrow it will be right back up in the 80's.  It's been so up and down this spring.  

(People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.")--Joseph Fort Newton

Although I always have a book in my hand on the ride to and from work, I like to people watch...but not in a way that's noticeable.  It's usually a short glance or a longer gaze out of the corner of my eye.  One finds that when you ride the subway...in the same car...at the same time each day...you begin to notice that the same people are always there.  Sometimes, you smile and nod at each other; perhaps you even say 'good morning."  And sometimes, when you really, really get to trust each other, you might even carry on a conversation...but only small talk.  You never expect to be let into someone's life.

So, we sit back and we begin to wonder, to imagine what their lives are really like.  Take the woman with the fiery red hair.  She always looks so sad.  I wonder what makes her life so unhappy.  Does she need a friend, you wonder?  You smile, and she nervously lowers her eyes.  She's not ready. So, you say nothing.


Then there the chubby little man in the business suit...always reads the New York Times. He is so rude. Morning after morning, you watch as he pushes and squeezes his way into a seat which is way too small for him...the others are noticeably squished.  He never says excuse me; he never says thank you.  He acts as if he  entitled.  Is he like that at home, too?  Does he rule his home with an iron thumb?  Is it either his way, or no way at all?  Then, one day he squeezes in next to you, and you can't even move your arm to turn the page of your book...but you say nothing. 

Perhaps he should get together with the lady who is always dressed so primly dressed...her dark hair pulled straight back and always in a bun.  She always frowns. I wonder, 'why is she always so angry?' And you will keep wondering, because you will never ask. 


And, of course, I cannot forget the young couple who spend their ride touching, hugging, and kissing like they can never get enough of each other.  Dare I tell them how inappropriate they are?  I think not.  There is already far too much anger on this train. 

A group of noisy teenagers get on at the next stop.  You try to read, but you cannot concentrate.  Do you say something?  Then, you remember that you were once a teenager...and you used to laugh and have a good time on the way to school.  They're doing nothing but acting normal, so you say nothing. 

(Acceptance of others, their looks, their behaviors, their beliefs, bring you an inner sense of peace and tranquility--instead of anger and resentment)--Unknown

And, one day when you are least expecting it, someone will sit next to you and in a short time, you will know what they do, where they work, about their family...etc...but, this person is usually a stranger...someone who feels comfortable confiding in you because they know they will never see you again.  It's easier that way than opening up to someone who you know you will see the next morning.


And as for my regulars? Those people I see every day?  We may not ever speak, but just knowing they are there adds a sense of unity.  I may never know their names or what they do in life, but they have become a part of MY life nonetheless...my subway family so to speak. 

And why this post?  I don't know.  Sometimes I sit down with something in mind...and something altogether different comes out.